


Jagged Stone and his Daughter

by Elemental_sorceress1



Series: The adventures of Marinette Stone [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Miraculous, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Caline Bustier Bashing, Caline Bustier is a bad teacher, Dad Jagged Stone, Gen, Lila Rossi Bashing, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Principal Damocles salt, Protective Jagged Stone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-04
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 21:08:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 5,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23013781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elemental_sorceress1/pseuds/Elemental_sorceress1
Summary: Au where Marinette is Jagged Stones Daughter.When Jagged finds out that Marinette was expelled for cheating on a test, he returns to Paris to find out just what is going on with his daughter.This story takes place after Season 3 Episode 11 LadyBug
Relationships: Sabine Cheng/Tom Dupain
Series: The adventures of Marinette Stone [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1653955
Comments: 65
Kudos: 1332
Collections: Miraculous Stories





	1. Expelled

Penny paused in her review of her checklist for the show that was scheduled for the next night at the sound of a guitar riff, she easily recognized the sound as Jagged's ring tone, the one he had set for when his closest and oldest friends called. The man himself was stretched out on the couch, quietly strumming his guitar and humming, working on a new song and lost in his own world. She glanced at the clock on the wall, it nearing three AM, a quick calculation put the time at around noon in Paris. 

"Hello, this is Penny speaking how may I help you?" Penny asked, setting the phone against her ear and shoulder, returning to her checklist.

"Oh, hello Penny, is Jagged busy?" came the soft voice of Sabine Dupain-Cheng.

"He's working on a new song, but if you need to speak with him I'll put him on" Penny replied, the other woman sounded upset, and it immediately concerned Penny.

"Please," Sabine said, Penny dropped her clipboard on a stand, holding the phone properly as she tapped Jagged's shoulder, gaining his attention. She held out the phone, mouthing Sabine's name, her brows furrowed in worry.

"Sabby? What's up?" Jagged asked, sitting up properly on the couch, guitar forgotten. Fang rumbled quietly. Penny watched in concern as her boss listened to whatever was being said on the other line of the phone, his face contorting into anger for a few minutes before settling on worry.

"We'll be there as soon as possible" he promised, standing up and grabbing his guitar, storming past her and into his bedroom of the hotel suite.

"Sir, what's going on?!" Penny asked, rushing after him.

"Marinette was expelled from school for cheating, and stealing from another student, which is ridiculous, but she's upset" Jagged replied, grabbing his suitcase from the closet.

"I'll cancel tomorrow's show, get us on the next flight to Paris, and get us reservations," Penny said, pulling out her phone to do just that while Jagged threw his stuff into his suitcase.

XXX

Penny sat quietly beside her boss on the plane a few hours later, the man was silent, but his fingers kept tapping out a rhythm on his leg and the way his jaw was clenched told her that he was grinding his teeth.

"You've been up the entire night Jagged, perhaps you should try to sleep" Penny suggested softly, the man looked at her in disbelief.

"I know that you're upset, I understand why but you can't help Marinette if you're exhausted" she added logically, the man sighed.

"Alright, I'll try to take a nap," he said, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. Five minutes later the sound of soft snoring alerted Penny that the man had fallen asleep, and she smiled.

XXX

After landing in Paris they made their way to the hotel, checking in and going to their room as quickly as possible, Jagged changed into a pair of jeans and a plain black shirt, a hat and sunglasses. While the disguise was simple, the paparazzi had never seemed to recognize the rock star. Penny simply pulled on a long brown wig, while she tended to disappear into the background as was her job, she didn't want to chance her purple hair giving them away. Fang followed them to the door, the reptile seeming to think that they would be going for a walk.

"You can't bring Fang," Penny told her boss firmly before the man could even open his mouth.

"Fang loves Mari, he would cheer her up," Jagged said, kneeling down and rubbing at Fang's head.

"While that's true, having a crocodile with us would give us away. Normal people don't own crocodiles as pets" Penny replied.

"Sorry Fang but she's right you'd give as away," Jagged told his pet, the crocodile seemed disappointed.

"Marinette can come to stay here this weekend and Fang can see her then" Penny assured, Jagged grinned and hugged her.

"You're a genius Penn, now let's go," he said and left the room, Penny followed behind him quickly.


	2. Explanation

Marinette was a small lump curled up on her bed, her comforter pulled over her head when Jagged lifted the door into the room, she either didn't hear him coming up, or she'd ignored it and he grinned. He always enjoyed the times when he could surprise the girl with his presence.

He entered the room as quietly as he could, climbing the ladder up to her loft bed, and grabbed a hold of the edge of the comforter, yanking the shield made of fabric away from the curled up form.

"Dad!" Marinette said after a few seconds of stunned silence.

"Mari, my little Rockstar" Jagged replied, climbing into his daughter's bed so that he could hug her, without worrying that he'd fall off of the ladder. She hugged him back tightly, face buried against his chest.

"What happened sweetheart?" he asked softly, running his fingers through her hair, free of her usual pigtails. The girl was silent for a few seconds, but then she seemed to break, sobbing into his shirt as she told him everything that had been happening. 

She told him about the new girl in her class and her lies, how nobody believed Marinette when she called the girl out. How the girl had threatened her, everything that had happened up to that point. How the girl had put the answer sheet to a test in her bag, how she accused Mari of pushing her down the stairs, and then accused her of stealing her necklace. How the teacher and principal had believed the girl without any actual proof, despite the fact that Marinette was known to get some of the highest grades in the school, and had always been a model student.

Jagged was furious, his jaw clenched and his fingers itched to strum over the strings of his guitar like he always did when he was upset and needed to think, but his daughter needed him more, so he bit back his anger and focused on comforting her.

XXX

Jagged pet Marinette's hair, singing to her softly as she calmed down like he had done when she was a child to help her fall asleep. She had cried for nearly two hours but she finally seemed to have cried herself out, hiccuping softly as she fell asleep.

Once he was sure that him leaving wouldn't wake the girl up again, he climbed out of the bed and quietly left the room. He leaned against the wall, his hands clenched into fists, his anger welling up in his chest.

He took a deep breath before pushing himself off of the wall, Sabine and Tom were concerned and he needed to keep a level head in order to explain to the couple what had been going on. He knew that they loved Marinette like she was their own child.

"Jagged, is she alright?" Sabine asked as soon as she saw him, her hands against her chest, Jagged sighed and flopped down on the couch, the Chinese woman for once not lecturing him for the action. He scrubbed his hand over his face before looking at the people who had become like family to him in the eye and telling them what Marinette had told him.

Tom was frowning, Sabine pressed to his chest, tears trailing down her cheeks once Jagged had finished the story. Jagged had rarely seen the larger man so angry, he was a gentle giant with a heart of gold.

"You have the school's number right, Penny?" Jagged asked, looking to his assistant. The woman looking just as angry as Tom and Sabine.

"Of course sir" Penny nodded.

"Good, schedule a meeting with the principal and Marinette's teacher for after school tomorrow, I want to talk to them. And call the school board, I want an investigation into the claims that got my daughter expelled. And call the lawyers, if this girl is claiming I wrote a song about her I want it to stop" Jagged ordered, Penny nodded once again and pulled out her phone to do as instructed.

"We'll get this all sorted out" Jagged assured the couple who had taken him in when he was just a single teenaged father without a penny to his name.

"Of course" Tom agreed, Sabine wiped her eyes and smiled.

"Are you or Penny hungry? We already ate supper but there are some leftovers I can heat up" Sabine offered.

"What is it?" Jagged asked eagerly, he hadn't eaten Tom and Sabine's cooking in months.

"I made a stir-fry with rice, I'll get you both a plate" Sabine replied with a smile, giggling when Jagged punched the air.

XXX

By the time Penny had finished with the call to Jagged's lawyers, the only call she was able to complete at that time Sabine was placing two plates of stir-fry over rice on the kitchen island, one glass of wine and a glass of soda already sitting on the wooden surface.

"Thank you, Sabine," Penny said with a smile, sitting in front of the plate next to the wine, Jagged echoed her statement with a kiss to Sabine's cheek. Unlike other rock stars, Jagged never drank, growing up with an alcoholic father had given Jagged a deep hatred of alcohol, and she was glad to see that Sabine and Tom always remembered.

After they ate, Jagged helped Sabine wash the dishes, both singing in Chinese while Penny and Tom just smiled as they listened to the pair. Once the dishes were done, Jagged announced that they were going back to the hotel. Sabine gave him a hug and kissed his cheek, her husband hugging him as well before shoving a container of sweets into his hands.

"All made with organic flour" Tom assured him, though Penny and Jagged both knew that it was unlikely that the couple would forget about Jagged's allergy.

"You're the best!" Jagged grinned, waving as they left, Jagged managed to make it into the car before he opened the container, grabbing a chocolate chip cookie and shoving half of it into his mouth with a single bite, holding the container out for Penny.

"Put the lid back on, if you eat anymore tonight you'll be up the entire night and you need to sleep," Penny told him, grabbing her own cookie. Jagged pouted but did as told, knowing that she was right.

"What did the lawyers say?" he asked once he had swallowed the food in his mouth.

"They'll draw up a lawsuit and a cease and desist order and have them mailed to us at the hotel, they'll arrive in three days at the most" Penny replied, Jagged nodded as he took another bite of his cookie.

"Good. Should we look into different schools for Mari?" he asked, looking to her thoughtfully.

"Maybe you should ask her if she wants to transfer first" Penny replied.

"And that's why you're the brains," Jagged told her, pointing at her with his half-eaten cookie as they pulled up the hotel, Penny laughed and shooed him out of the car. In the morning she would call the school, and the school board, knowing that Jagged wouldn't rest until those responsible for expelling his daughter without an investigation were fired. She didn't feel the least bit sorry, she adored Marinette, and if she could help bring that girl down, then she would do just that.


	3. Meeting at the School

Once the final bell ran and all of the students rushed out, talking excitedly to their friends Caline Bustier quickly straightened the papers on her desk before making her way to Principal Damocles' office for their meeting with Marinette's father. She had never met the man, Tom and Sabine had told them that he was often away from Paris, traveling for work. Perhaps his absence was the reason the petite girl had begun acting out after all children needed their parents, and while the Dupain-Cheng's did their best they were not Marinette's parents.

She knocked on the door to Damocles's office, waiting for him to call her in before entering, closing the door behind her and taking a seat in one of the chairs in front of the man's desk. They waited in silence for a few minutes until the door opened and Jagged Stone entered, followed by a woman, and another man.

Caline blinked, confused as to why Jagged Stone was there, Damocles seemed to be just as confused as her, if his raised eyebrows and slightly open mouth were any indication.

"Mr. Stone, what are you doing here?" Damocles asked, seeming to break out of his trance.

"We have a meeting to discuss my daughter's expulsion," the man said, his voice low. He put a card and a piece of paper on the desk with more force than necessary. The paper was a birth certificate, for Marinette Stone, the name David Stone written into the space for father, the card was an ID for David Stone, the picture one of Jagged Stone himself. 

Once Caline processed the information that The Jagged Stone was her student's father, she noticed the similarities between the two. They weren't many, but they were there all the same, easily overlooked if you didn't know.

"Expelled her without any proof!" Jagged was yelling when the red-headed teacher finally tuned back into the conversation.

"The answer sheet was found in her bag, and the necklace was in her locker" Damocles replied.

"Any student could have grabbed the answers off of Ms. Bustiers desk, and the lockers have no locks if someone wanted to put something into another student's locker they could do so quite easily. And as for the assault, there was no witness to Marinette pushing her, and the student refused to see the nurse" the woman with short purple hair said.

"Exactly, and you just expelled her without looking at the cameras to make sure that the claims were true. Marinette is known to get some of the highest grades in the school and has always been referred to as a model student" Jagged growled.

"Mr. Stone is correct, you should have checked the cameras instead of expelling MS. Stone with circumstantial evidence. The board has decided to open an investigation into the case, you are to hand over the security tapes for this week Principal Damocles" the second man said, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Of course" Damocles agreed, he had no other choice but to agree. Jagged stone stood, glaring at Damocles and Caline as her left, the purple-haired woman following behind him.

Caline followed silently as Damocles let the man to the security office, handing him the tapes for the week before he left. Once he was gone Damocles and Bustier glanced at each other, neither sure how to react to what had just happened.


	4. Crocodile Rock

Fang's head perked up when the door opened, his tail thumped against the ground and he scrambled out of his bed excitedly. He moved as quickly as his stubby legs would allow him to, his dad was back, and with him was his sister. Fang bumped his head against the girl's legs, letting out a rumbling growl in greeting.

"Fang! I missed you" his sister said, kneeling on the floor in front of him and placing kisses to his head as she pet him. He had missed his sister, she usually stayed behind when he and dad left and he hadn't seen her in what felt like years.

But as excited as he was to see her, he noticed that her smile was a little less wide, her eyes a little less bright the usual. Fang bumped his head against her hands, he didn't know what was wrong, and he was worried. She smiled at him, but it wasn't like her usual smile, Fang walked away fro her and she stood back up.

Fang grabbed his blanket in his mouth and dragged it with him over to the couch where dad and his sister were sitting now, he scrambled up onto the piece of furniture, and laid his head on his sister's lap, nudging the blanket closer to her.

"What's the matter Fang?" she asked, looking down at him.

"He's trying to give you his blanket, he cuddles it when he's upset so whenever he notices that I or Penny is upset he tries to give us his blanket to make us feel better. He's smart, he must have realized that your not as happy as you usually are when he sees you" dad explained, Marinette looked back at Fang and smiled.

"You're the sweetest crocodile in the world, yes you are" she cooed, wrapping her arms around his neck, Fang rumbled in happiness.

XXX

It was late at night, and Fang was curled around his sister as she cried, she'd slept for a little bit, and woken up Fang when she had sat up in the bed, pulling her knees to her chest and started sobbing into them. 

Fang was tempted to go wake up dad, but he didn't want to leave the girl when she seemed so upset. He rumbled and cuddled closer to her, but it didn't seem to comfort her and Fang made his decision. He scrambled down onto the floor, and nudged the door open with his snout, making his way to the sleeping figure of his dad on the couch. 

Fang growled, nibbling on his dad's hand to wake him up when that didn't work he climbed on top of the sleeping man's chest. His dad gasped awake, the weight of a full-grown crocodile settled on his chest. Once his dad was awake, Fang got down and made his way back to the room where his sister was, knowing his dad was following him from the sound of his bare feet on the wooden floor.

"Mari, my little Rock star what's wrong?" dad asked as he sat on the bed, pulling his sister into a hug and humming to her softly.

"All of my friends left me, everyone left me, Auntie and Uncle, you and Penny, I was all alone" she sobbed

"It was just a bad dream, Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom love you, they would never leave you. I'm your father and I love you more than anything in the world, nothing would ever make me leave you, and Penny adores you" dad assured her, Fang rumbled in agreement.

"She told me she'd take everyone away from me, I just started making friends this year, I don't want to go back to being alone," she said, her voice breaking.

"Want me to have Fang eat her?" he offered, his sister laughed, it was weak and watery but it was genuine all the same and Fang perked up at the sound.

"I love that you'd even offer that, but they would take both you and Fang away and then she would have succeeded" she replied.

"Your right, she'd probably upset Fang's belly anyway," dad said, she laughed again, pulling away from him and wiping at her eyes.

"I'm sorry to wake you up" she apologized.

"You didn't, Fang laid on top of me. He is not a light creature" he said, waving a hand.

"Will you sing to me? Just until I go back to sleep" she asked, settling back into the bed, Fang curled up near her head, placing himself as her protector and an object of comfort for the remainder of the night.

"Of course" dad agreed, settling back against the headboard and beginning to sing softly as Marinette closed her eyes.


	5. Family

When Penny entered Jagged's room in the morning after Marinette came to stay with them at the hotel for a few days while everything with the school was settled, the couch was a mess which was to be expected as Jagged was sleeping on the couch so that Marinette could sleep in the bed but Jagged was nowhere to be found. While it wasn't unusual for the man to wander off when he was bored, she was always the first to wake up.

Penny blinked, even if he had woken up before her she doubted he would have left the suite, she made her way to the bedroom, pushing the door open fully to see if Marinette was still there. Jagged was fast asleep, leaning back against the headboard, Marinette curled up against his side and Fang curled up at the top of the bed, beside the girl's head. Penny smiled, taking a picture with her phone before closing the door.

Penny hummed as she folded the blankets and placed them and the pillow on an extra chair before calling room service to order breakfast, Jagged had the same thing for breakfast every day, a cup of coffee with a dash of milk and a croissant. She figured it was a safe bet to order Marinette her comfort breakfast, crepes with chocolate and fresh strawberries and a cup of hot chocolate both with extra whip cream. She ordered Fang three raw chicken breasts and herself a bowl of fresh fruit and a cup of coffee.

XXX  
When the food arrived, Penny thanked the man as he pushed the cart into the room, once the man left, his tip shoved safely into the pocket of his uniform jacket she went to wake up Jagged, Marinette and Fang.

and his daughter both blearily wandered into the living area, eyes barely open, Penny watched Marinette carefully ready to catch the girl if she tripped. When the girl did trip, Jagged was the one that caught her, his arms shooting out and grabbing the petite girl around her waist, steadying her on her feet. 

"Thank you, Penny," Marinette said with a small smile once she uncovered the plate, Penny returned the smile, spearing a slice of strawberry with her fork. Jagged chugged half of his cup of coffee and blinked, finally waking up fully.

"Thanks, Penn" Jagged echoed with his own smile, Penny simply hummed enjoying the time spent with the people who had become family to her.


	6. Father and Daughter

Marinette was leaning back against the arm of the couch, her sketchbook resting on her knees as she sketched out ideas for a new suit that her father had asked her to make for his next tour, Fang was curled up by her feet as he slept. 

Her father was working on a song, humming the unfinished tune as he worked it out on the piano, occasionally stopping to scribble down the notes. Marinette smiled softly as she listened to her father's voice. 

The noise in the room stopped when a knock sounded on the door, Fang's eyes opened and he lifted his head before seeming to decide he didn't care who was at the door and laid his head back down and closed his eyes. Penny opened the door, speaking to whoever was there so quietly Marinette couldn't understand what was being said.

"The papers from the lawyer arrived," Penny said, walking over to hand the document to her father who grinned and flipped through them.

"What papers?" Marinette asked, resting her arms on the back of the couch as she watched the pair.

"It's a defamation lawsuit and a cease and desist order for the girl in your class that claimed Jagged wrote a song about her" Penny explained, looking at her father as though she was unsure if she should tell Marinette or not.

"Oh" Marinette replied, her father looking up at her.

"She can't blame you for this Mari, and after this everyone will know that she's a liar" he assured her, standing from his seat and kissing the top of her head, she smiled at him in return.

XXX

"Hey?" her dad asked later that day, he was sitting next to her on the couch, arms stretched over the back, Marinette hummed to let him know she had heard him.

"Why didn't you tell the class that you knew she was lying about rescuing my kitten because I'm your dad" he finished, looking at her as she looked up from her sketch.

"They wouldn't believe me, besides we've always hid that fact from the public" Mari shrugged.

"I only did that to give you a normal life, I'm not ashamed of you, you know that right?" he asked, looking at her, eyebrows furrowed and gaze serious.

"I know" she assured him with a smile, she never once doubted that he loved her, and she knew that he never told people about her because he worried that people would try to use her to get to him and he didn't want her to be hurt.

"I'm proud of you, my little Rock star," he told her opening his arms for a hug, Marinette hugged him back instantly, she always missed his hugs when he had to leave.


	7. Karma

It was early Tuesday morning when Penny burst into Jagged's room, shaking her boss awake excitedly, the man sat up on the couch blinking at his assistant sleepily, Penny's smile widened and she sat on the couch beside him.

"The school board called me! They concluded their investigation Yesterday afternoon Marinette was framed, everything the girl accused her of was a lie, and when they looked into the girl's academic record they found she had missed months of school because she claimed to be traveling with her mother, and when they contacted her mother to ask why she'd take her daughter traveling during the school year and make her miss months of school her mother said they hadn't left Paris since they came here. And when the girl claimed all kinds of injuries and disabilities, her mother denied her having any of them!" Penny said in a rush, Jagged whooped loudly causing a thump to sound from the direction of the bedroom.

"What happened? Is everything okay?" Marinette asked, rushing into the living area, hair a mess, and bluebell eyes wide, Fang on her heels.

"Sorry sweetheart just got excited," Jagged said, smiling at his daughter.

"Oh, good" Marinette replied, covering her mouth as she yawned.

"Are you alright Marinette? We heard a thump" Penny asked, looking at the teenager in concern.

"I'm fine, just fell off the bed" she answered with a shrug, Jagged shook his head with a fond smile at his daughter's clumsiness.

"I'm going to take a shower," Marinette told them, disappearing back into the bedroom, Fang once again following her, no doubt to weasel his way into the shower with her, it was a good thing the shower was big.

"When is the board going to the school?" Jagged asked once he was sure Marinette could no longer hear them.

"This morning" Penny answered, raising an eyebrow at her bosses grin.

"I want to be there, you can give the court papers for the pending lawsuit to the girl's parents too. Call Sabine and Tom to come and stay with Marinette while we're gone, and then we'll all go out for brunch" Jagged told her, Penny nodded and pulled out her phone before she paused.

"Marinette will be curious about where we're going" she reminded him.

"We'll just tell her we have a meeting with Roth this morning," Jagged said with a wave of his hand as he stood up to get dressed.

"You can take a shower in my room if you'd like sir," Penny told him, he grinned gratefully back at her.

XXX

Jagged was once again in his disguise, playing the part of Marinette's simple civilian father that was there to see that his daughter got the justice she deserved. The incompetent principal and teacher were being yelled at by one of the members of the school board. The liar of a child sat in a chair in front of the principal's desk, wilting under her mother's glare.

"Mrs. Rossi, would you like to say anything?" the man asked, once he had finished yelling.

"I can not believe that you expelled an innocent girl without investigating her claims. Or the fact that you never called me about the months of school she missed, or to confirm any of her injuries or disabilities despite none of them being in her file!" she said, arms crossed over her chest, and then she whirled around to look at her daughter.

"And you Lila! Do you have any idea the amount of trouble I could get into because of your lies?! I could lose my job, and you could be taken away because of the months of school you missed! Do you understand how much trouble you could have caused that poor girl just because she was the only one who didn't believe your lies?!" she shouted.

Just then a knock sounded on the door and Jagged grinned, knowing that it was Penny coming to play her part in the scheme.

"Come in," the man from the school board said, and Penny opened the door, smiling at the people in the room politely.

"Sorry to interrupt, but one of the teachers told me that I could find a Ms. Lila Rossi and her mother here," Penny said, the girl's mother raised an eyebrow at the darker-skinned woman.

"What is this about?" she asked, Penny, stepped fully into the room and shut the door behind her.

"I'm afraid your daughter is being sued by Jagged Stone for defamation as she claimed that he had written a song about her, which one of her classmates then posted on the internet. However, being that your daughter is a minor and cannot be held legally responsible, this would mean that Jagged Stone is suing you, as you are her parental unit." Penny told her, handing the woman the papers in a manila folder.

"Sued! He can't sue us!" the girl shouted, glaring at Penny.

"He can, if reporters or someone that doesn't like Mr. Stone found out about what you said, it could lead to accusations that could damage Mr. Stone's reputation and career" Penny replied, looking back at the girl.

"Lila Rossi! You are in so much trouble when your father gets home we are going to have a serious conversation about what to do with you!" the woman shouted.

"I'm afraid that your daughter is expelled ma'am," the man from the school board told her.

"I understand" the woman nodded before grabbing her daughter's arm and dragging her out of the school, yelling at her in Italian all the while.

"Mr. Damacles, the board demand that you step down from your position for your handling of this situation and bullies in general. You showed clear favoritism towards Ms. Rossi, and Ms. Bourgeois before this. And Mrs. Bustier the board has decided that you are unfit to be a teacher. You humiliated a student by calling them out in front of the class when they were accused of cheating instead of doing the proper thing and taking the student to the principal, you allowed Ms. Rossi and your other students to bully Ms. Stone as well as allowing Ms. Bourgeois to bully the girl for years prior. You are both enablers to bullies and the board will not tolerate that behavior any longer" the man growled, both teacher and principal looked down, chastised and cowered.

"Mr. Stone, on behalf of myself and the school board I apologize to both you and your daughter, she is welcome to return to school, as soon as today if she wishes. Neither the cheating nor expulsion will go on her record I assure you" the man said, turning to Jagged.

"Thank you, but I'm transferring her to another school" Jagged responded.

"Of course, we completely understand, I will have any work she missed gathered up before you leave, you can simply have it mailed to the school" the man replied, Jagged nodded in agreement.

"Mrs. Bustier, if you would kindly take Mrs. Le'mont who's waiting outside to your classroom and get the work for Ms. Stone you can go home after you drop it off here," the man told her, the red-headed woman nodded and silently left the room, gaze still firmly planted on the floor. 

"Mr. Damocles you are welcome to gather your belongings, I will be taking over as temporary principal until a replacement can be found" the man added, Damocles only nodded as well, not knowing what to say.


	8. The future is bright

Marinette hunched in on herself, holding her book bag tightly to her chest in an attempt to comfort herself, there were so many people milling around in the entrance of her new school, and she feared making any more enemies.

"It's okay Mari," her dad told her, placing one of his hand on her shoulder, voice soft and comforting, Marinette looked up at him, biting her lip and worried tears prickling at her eyes.

"Hey, this school doesn't tolerate bullying, but if it doesn't work out you tell me or Auntie Sabine and Uncle Tom and we'll find another school" He promised, kneeling in front of her and resting his hands on her shoulder.

"What if nobody likes me?" she asked in a whisper.

"Impossible, I know you'll make some new friends, and you still have those three kids from your last school who believed you right?" he asked, Marinette nodded and he smiled, kissing her forehead.

"Ms. Stone, this is Charlotte and Jean Beaumont I've asked them to show you around the school for a few days," the principal told her gesturing to the two students beside him. They both had auburn hair and hazel eyes with flecks of green.

"Hi Marinette, it's wonderful to meet you," Charlotte said, a wide welcoming smile on her face, she was dressed in a flowy black skirt and a white and pink polka-dotted shirt, her hair braided over one shoulder, Marinette smiled politely back at her.

"I'm sure that Charlotte and Jean will take excellent care of your daughter Mr. Stone," the principal told Jagged, though with his disguise no one knew it was him.

"Alright, I have to go now, but we'll have dinner together tonight before I have to leave. If you need anything just call" he told her, pulling her into one final hug and kissing her forehead.

"Bye dad," Marinette said, hugging him tightly. Once they pulled away he left, giving her one last encouraging smile and a final wave.

"You're in the same class as us! I think we're going to be great friends" Charlotte told her excitedly, grabbing Marinette's arm and bouncing in place. Marinette couldn't help but smile, the taller girls bubbly personality making her feel more comfortable.

XXX

By the end of the day Marinette had gotten to know two of her new classmates, Charlotte was a bubbly and outgoing person, her twin the exact opposite. Jean was quiet and more subdued, preferring to let Charlotte speak for him. Charlotte seemed almost able to read her brother's mind at times.

Charlotte seemed determined to be Marinette's new best friend, but she didn't seem pushy, just like she wanted to make the petite girl feel more like she belonged in the new school. While Jean hadn't said it, he had nodded in agreement when Charlotte told Marinette that he wanted to be her friend as well.  
Climbing into the back seat of the car Penny was driving at the end of the day, Marinette felt confident that she would make new friends. While the rejection of her old friends still stung, she wasn't going to let them ruin her chances of making friends. And she still had Adrien, Juleka, and Nathaniel as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for part two of this series coming soon. I'm so thankful for everyone that enjoyed this story and the support you offered along the way.

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the Au that Unmaskedagain over on Tumbler had, where Jagged became a single father at eighteen and Tom and Sabine took him and his newborn daughter Marinette in.


End file.
